In This Issue

This Month at MCAAD
What We’re Reading
What We’re Watching

Welcome to the June edition of our newsletter! As we step into the vibrant month ahead, we're embracing the spirit of triumph over adversity. With the celebration of Juneteenth, Pride, and Immigrant Heritage Month, the pursuit of belonging is top of mind for us. Though the American Dream is often first approached through the lens of social and economic mobility, it is also at its core a story of welcoming, belonging, and feeling that one has carved out a place in the society in which they live that accepts, protects, and reflects them.

Too often, this belonging comes with struggle, whether it is the fight for emancipation from slavery, the impacts of systemic discrimination, or the animosity that different generations of immigrants to our country have faced throughout history. But the American Dream is the story of challenges overcome. It is a belief in the individual and collective ability to build a better world. As summer begins, we take time to remember and celebrate some of those stories.

Rachel Goslins
Executive Director & Chief Creative Officer
Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, Milken Institute

This Month at MCAAD

The MCAAD team was in full force at the Milken Institute Global Conference. From May 5–8, leaders across health, finance, and philanthropy gathered in Los Angeles to discuss the world’s most pressing challenges. Among them, MCAAD Executive Director Rachel Goslins moderated a fascinating panel on “Data-Driven Solutions to Advance the American Dream.” With representatives from Gallup, USAFacts, and Stand Together, as well as Harvard University economics professor Raj Chetty, the conversation explores what is working with the American Dream, surprising ways to measure and track opportunity, and how we can use data to increase opportunity for all. Watch the entire conversation and stay until the end for a fun audience poll on who best embodies the American Dream.

What We’re Reading

Juneteenth, a celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States, holds profound significance in our nation's history and the ongoing pursuit of the American Dream. Held annually on June 19, this joyous occasion honors the resilience and determination of Black Americans who fought for their freedom. Juneteenth serves as a reminder of the progress that has been made and the work that still lies ahead in ensuring that the American Dream is attainable for all.

Did you know that Juneteenth is the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983? Or that more than half of the states recognize Juneteenth as a paid state holiday, and all states have some recognition or observance? CNN’s “Juneteenth Fast Facts” provides a snapshot of the celebration with interesting facts like these.

Juneteenth is also a good time to reflect on the disparate struggles of communities across our nation. The imbalance of opportunity in different communities is a subject we will explore in our galleries with our Place and Prosperity interactive exhibit. Place and Prosperity uses big data to reveal the meaningful and occasionally surprising relationships between where we were born and live and our opportunities for prosperity and mobility. It allows visitors to see how their home county compares to the rest of the US in key variables like broadband access and housing affordability. Visitors can also support further research and advocacy by voting for the factors they consider most important.

While you wait for our galleries to open, you can spend some time with the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities 2024 report. This report evaluates factors such as jobs, wages, and housing affordability across 403 metropolitan areas in the United States. The rankings shed light on the current state of access to economic opportunities in our country amid ongoing demographic changes.

What We’re Watching

Nearly every country in the world is represented among US immigrants, according to the US Department of State’s video on Immigrant Heritage Month. The vast array of cultural representation and the long history of immigration in the US are key components of the American Dream. To celebrate this history, Immigrant Heritage Month, which began in June 2014, gives people across the United States an opportunity to annually explore their own heritage and celebrate the shared diversity that forms the unique story of America, says the American Library Association. To hear stories of courageous individuals who come from diverse corners of the globe in search of refuge and prosperity, check out this collection by Story Corps that celebrates the profound influence of immigrants on the American Dream.

Immigration has historically been a key topic in election discussions in the US. To hear from political experts about the issues driving the 2024 elections, including immigration and border security, watch this conversation from the Milken Institute’s 2024 Global Conference titled “2024 US Election Insights.”

June also marks Pride Month, a celebration of love and acceptance. As streets are adorned with rainbow colors and flags raised high, we honor the courage of LGBTQ+ individuals in their quest for belonging. The celebration of Pride Month has a fascinating history dating back to the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. To learn about its origins, watch this video by CBS News, which offers a helpful summary.

LGBTQ+ representation was highlighted at this year’s Global Conference, which featured panels on topics such as “The Role of Companies for LGBTQ+ Rights.”

This month, along with all the other months, is a time to stand in solidarity with one another, forming bonds of understanding and unity within our communities. There is more that unites us than divides us, and the American Dream is big enough for us all.

A view of the treasury from our sixth floor, taken in June 2023